Beanpot: Terriers defeat NU, will face BC in final--UPDATED

#9 BU earned the right to defend its Beanpot title with a 3-1 victory over Northeastern at TD Garden. The Terriers, who will face BC in next Monday’s final, received first-period goals from junior Robbie Baillargeon and freshman Charlie McAvoy, an empty-netter from junior Doyle Somerby and another extremely sharp effort in goal by senior Sean Maguire .

In addition to propelling BU into next week’s final, the victory—the Terriers’ 15^th of the season—achieve a program milestone: 1,500 wins since the Terriers first took to the ice in 1917. BU will play in the Beanpot championship game for the 28^th time in the past 33 seasons.

BU got on the board at 13:14 of the first when freshman Ryan Cloonan kept a puck alive in the Huskies zone, leading to two shots by freshman Bobo Carpenter. The second deflected into the air to goalie Ryan Ruck’s right and Baillargeon batted it home. Three-and-a-half minutes later, freshman Oskar Andrén’s pass sent senior Danny O’Regan into the NU zone, where he dropped the puck to McAvoy, who blasted a shot into the top left corner past a partially screened goalie. 

Maguire, coming off last Friday’s 4-0 shutout of Merrimack, held Northeastern at bay until late in the third period, stopping 24 shots, including a Mike McMurtry  breakaway in the first period. The Huskies finally broke through after pulling Ruck for an extra attacker. Maguire made a pad stop on a shot from the point, but an unchecked John Stevens slid the rebound under him. Two minutes later, with NU pressing for the equalizer, Somerby cleared the puck with a 180-foot shot that went dead-center into the empty net.

Ruck was immense in goal for Northeastern keeping BU from extending its lead on breakaways by O’Regan and freshman Jordan Greenway and denying a Matt Lane one-timer from the right circle on a power play that seemed labeled. Cloonan nearly added to the lead in the third period when his backhander rang off the crossbar.

BU coach David Quinn was pleased with his team’s performance:                                    

“Just a really good team effort — from start to finish, we were ready to play. I thought our forwards had a good night, our ‘D’ corps had a good night, our goalie had a good night.”

McAvoy, whose goal proved to be the game-winner, reflected on his first Beanpot experience:

“Coming in, you choose to go to a school like BU to play in the Beanpot and it was everything that it was hyped up to be.”

● GoTerriers.com recap and comprehensive box score

● Video highlights; BU goals: Baillargeon, McAvoy, Somerby

●  Photo gallery

● Post-game comment: Quinn and O’Regan

● Daily Free Press recap ; McAvoy’s growth; Andrén shines

● USCHO recap; Maguire regains focus, shines in Beanpot
● SB Nation recap; Puck possession is king

● College Hockey News recap

● Boston Globe recap

►O’Regan and captain Matt Grzelcyk are on the list of 23 finalists for the Walter Brown Award, which recognizes the top American-born college hockey player in New England.

Women’s Team

Terriers host Northeastern at Walter Brown Arena in the opening round of the 38^th Women’s Beanpot Tournament. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m.

● GoTerriers.com: preview, game notes, game tracker, TerrierTV, @BUGameDay
● Daily Free Press preview